SOUTHAMPTON — Southampton residents have likely spotted the splashes of blue and white or purple and green signs posted on various lawns, endorsing one of two candidates for state representative. Over the course of this campaign season, some may have even received an in-person visit from the candidates themselves as they race to secure their spot on Beacon Hill.

In one of only a handful of contested local elections this year, Republican two-term incumbent state Rep. Kelly Pease is facing a challenge from Democrat Bridget Matthews-Kane, a three-term Westfield city councilor. For months, both candidates have been campaigning to win over the constituents of the 4th Hampden District, which represents most of Westfield and, since redistricting following the 2020 census, all of Southampton.

Through their door-knocking endeavors, both candidates said in interviews with the Gazette that the most prevalent concern among constituents has been that of affordability. Both Pease and Matthews-Kane hope to be strong voices for the district in the state legislature, and bring their own unique backgrounds and approaches to the affordability problem and other issues they hope to focus on if elected.

Matthews-Kane

Matthews-Kane, 55, has a history of work in education and grassroots organizing prior to being elected to the City Council.

The Whip City native returned to her home city with her high school sweetheart to raise her four children, where she grew up frequently visiting family members in neighboring Southampton.

Serving on the City Council and various committees, she has prided herself on listening closely to constituents to determine which issues are affecting local lives the most. Using the skills instilled in her from her time doing grassroots organizing work, Matthews-Kane has prioritized community outreach while on the council, addressing issues like speeding in the city when residents voiced their concerns.

If elected to the state representative seat, she plans to continue this on-the-ground work to keep her finger on the pulse of the district.

As she has campaigned, this kind of door-to-door canvassing has been key to getting to know the residents of the district and learning about their main concerns during this election cycle.

“I’ve heard time and time again that affordability is their main concern,” said Matthews-Kane.

In particular, Matthews-Kane noted having heard from constituents that they have been struggling to afford housing in the area, including many seniors who have long since paid off their mortgages but still struggle to keep up with the cost of their home insurance payments.

“What I plan to target is home insurance,” said Matthews-Kane. “I think we need to look at how the state legislature can address home insurance.”

Matthews-Kane said she also plans to prioritize affordable housing in the district, making it easier for families and individuals to move to the area or stay there. She noted that her opponent voted against the act titled “An Act Relative to the Affordable Homes Act,” and said that she plans to advocate for that kind of legislation.

In a post on Facebook highlighting his record ahead of the election, Pease said that the aforementioned bill was the last thing being voted on, at around 9:30 a.m. after being at the State House for more than 20 hours, and that “there was not enough time to go through the 182 pages of the bill to make sure our local communities were not adversely affected,” prompting his “no” vote. He acknowledged in the post that “housing is needed, and this bill had a lot of good things to promote housing,” but said that the Massachusetts Municipal Committee had “initial concerns” about the bill when it went into the Conference Committee.

Matthews-Kane said she hopes to work on mitigating the housing crisis in the region using strategies that have served her well as a city councilor. She cited her previous success on the council garnering support to advocate for Mayor Michael McCabe to reintroduce an ordinance change for Complete Streets, a state program focused on providing safe transportation experiences for pedestrians and bicyclists. Through this organizing and gathering statistics, Complete Streets was passed in 2022.

She has also highlighted her work advocating for Westfield to take advantage of the Municipal Modernization Act, which was introduced by Gov. Charlie Baker in 2016 and allowed communities to reduce speed limits to 25 mph in heavily settled areas, to address local concerns about speeding. These changes were passed by the council in 2023.

Matthews-Kane plans to bring her grassroots outreach and organizing experience with her to Beacon Hill if selected to represent the district.

“I’m a go-getter who accomplishes things,” she said. “I’ve raised more than my opponent and I think I’ve knocked on more doors.”

According to Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance records, Pease has raised $26,421 this year from individual donors, the Holyoke Republican City Committee, the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, the Westfield Republican Committee, the Massachusetts Dental Society Political Action Committee, the Massachusetts and Northern New England Laborers’ District Council, and the Jones Committee, with a total of 212 donations at the time of writing.

Matthews-Kane has raised $47,083 this year from individual donors, the Chicopee Democratic City Committee, the Mary Olberding Committee, the Committee to Elect Nicole LaChapelle, the United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 1459, the Southampton Democratic Town Committee, and the Westfield Democratic City Committee, with a total of 250 donations at the time of writing.

Kelly Pease

Pease, 58, spent grew up in Chester and has always had an interest in politics. After a screen acting career that began after being “discovered” at the age of 9 on a trip with his dance group, Pease sought to become more involved in his home community, serving as a volunteer firefighter, police officer, and becoming a member of the Chester Select Board at the age of 21.

Following his stint on the Select Board, Pease joined the military, serving for 20 years of active duty in the Army, and subsequently working for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. After years of military travel and three years living in Germany, Pease and his family decided to put down roots in Westfield, where he jumped at the chance to run for the vacated state representative seat. He is in his second term as state representative, and previously ran unopposed.

Heading into this election, Pease hopes to continue his advocacy for the district on Beacon Hill, and has emphasized his steady involvement in spearheading bills and securing state funding for his constituents while still encouraging the legislature to be “fiscally conservative.”

“Just this last session, I spearheaded or co-sponsored 131 bills,” he said. “In my four years as state representative, I’ve never missed a roll call vote.”

Like his opponent, Pease has also been knocking on doors throughout the district, during which the issue of affordability arose more often than any other.

“Affordability. People are always concerned about affordability. Inflation has really impacted families,” he said. “You’ve got to continue to increase affordability in our commonwealth.”

Pease said that the main realm of affordability he hopes to focus on if re-elected is the rising cost of housing, both for those moving to the area and seniors being priced out of their home towns, which he said he hopes to mitigate by working to increase housing availability.

Throughout his tenure on Beacon Hill, Pease has also been vocal about his advocacy for local schools and roadways, including his focus on increasing Chapter 90 money for public improvements. He was an advocate for the $150 million increase in grant funding for transportation projects that was introduced by the legislature and the Student Opportunity Act resulting in an increase in Chapter 70 money for schools.

Pease said he wants to continue fighting to fund schools and public infrastructure “at the local level.”

Another of his main areas of focus has been addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), colloquially called “forever chemicals” because of their persistence in the environment and the human body.

“I’m trying to get recommendations into law for better oversight of products containing PFAS chemicals,” said Pease. Such products include clothing, food packaging and firefighting foam, in which they are used to protect products from heat, water, oil and other damage. PFAS have been linked to adverse health effects in humans, including an increased risk of certain cancers.

Pease also emphasized the recent $400,000 he secured for the district in the fiscal year 2025 Economic Development Bonding Bill passed by the House of representatives, including $150,000 for Southampton’s new public safety complex. Additionally, he noted various “wins” for the district in the form of funding in the fiscal year 2025 state budget, including $40,000 for Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield to prevent and treat opioid addiction and $40,000 for facility improvements for the Southampton Youth Athletic Association.

“Every little bit helps,” he said.

He has also remained vocal about increasing “transparency” in the legislature by calling for roll call votes and refusing to “vote blindly” on legislation that he believes he and other officials have not had enough time to consider.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.